The invention relates to a radiation thermometer comprising a heated measuring tip, especially an infrared thermometer for measuring temperature. Such thermometers are known to contain an infrared sensor, an ambient temperature sensor and an evaluating device which determines the temperature of a measurement object from the output signals of the sensors.
An infrared ear thermometer comprising a measuring tip which can be heated by a built-in heating element is known from WO 00/58703. If a heated measuring tip is inserted in an auditory canal, almost no more heat exchange takes place between the measuring tip and the auditory canal so that the measuring tip and the auditory canal are in thermal equilibrium during the temperature measurement. In this way, measurement errors which arise as a result of cooling of the ear canal if the measuring tip inserted in the ear canal is cooler than said canal, are avoided. The ear thermometer is provided with a control device for regulating the temperature of the measuring tip which also determines whether the measuring tip is located in the auditory canal and switches the heating element on or off when the measuring tip is inserted in the auditory canal or withdrawn therefrom.
An infrared thermometer is known from EP 1081475 whose measuring tip can be heated at its anterior end by a heatable infrared sensor arranged there.